Pressure-control apparatus



Aug. 3 1926.

W. J. SHENK ET AL PRESSURE CONTROL APPARATUS I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z i mt flu? v mmmj l. 1 m 9% a 1 fig NT mm ,m, m g

Filed Au Aug. 3 1926; 1,594,569

w. J. SHENK ET AL PRESSURE CONTROL APPARATUS P 53 .fiLlgeg August 1, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IIIIIIIIIIIIIII II Mum/'7 J. JHENK ,17% f4 WM f/wE/v Toms 1501mm) AK M1. HELM Patented Aug. 3, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE} WILLIAM J. SHENK, OF NORTH ST. PAUL, ANDEDWARD A, 'WILHELM, OF ST. PAUL,

MINNESQTA, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN HOIST & DERRICK COMPANY, A.PABTNEB SHIP COMIOSED OF I. J. JOHNSON AND W. O. WASHBURN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNE- SOTA.

@ comotive ditchers, cranes or other appara-' tus, to control the flow of pressure to and from the brakes of such a machine.

Locomotive ditchers, such as are commonly employed by railroad companies to excavate and remove the material in'the construction of new right-of-ways or in the maintenance of old right-of-ways, usually" consist of a locomotive or ditcher unit comprising a car having a boom and dipper and the necessary operating mechanism mounted upon a revolving deck, upon the car, so that the boom may be swung from side to side of the ditcher in the operation of removing dirt and material from excavations, and the like. The power plant is also usually carried by the revolving deck so that the entire operating mechanism is mounted for relative r0 tation upon the car frame. Such apparatus s usually equipped with air brakes andare. therefore, provided with both straight and automatic air control valves such as are commonly employed on railway locomotives of ordinary construction.

Heretofor'e, it has been necessary to provide flexible connections between the airbrake control valves and the stationary brake mechanism mounted beneath the car platform as a result of the control valves being mounted upon the machinery deck of the.

ditcher, Such flexible connections between the revolving deck and the truck or car frame have been found objectionable as a The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the use of flexible connections in the air lines between the revolving deck and the car body may be dispensed with and in place thereof a double swivel joint is provided which is mounted in axial 3m alignment with a vertical rotating shaftf The particular object of this invention,

therefore, is to provide an improved presranssunii-conrnon APPARATUS.

Application filed August 1, 1925. Serial No. 47,644.

sure control apparatus particularly designed for use to control pressure in the operation of the usual brakes of a locomotive ditcher, crane, or similar apparatus.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following ,descri tion and the accompanying drawings an will be pointed out in'the annexed claims.

In the drawings there has'been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scopeof the claims which follow.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomm;

tive ditcher showing-the invention applied- 11 I I thereto v Figure 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the general construction of the double swivel ]01Ilt mounted in axial alignment with the vertical rotating shaft;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on v "a V the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a similar view on the kne l- 1 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the swivel connection in' the air lines b e;- tween the air controlled valves mounted upon the revolving machinery deck and the brake service connections mounted'beneat'h the car frame.

In the selected embodiment of the invention here shown, for purposes of disclosure of one application of the invention, there is illustrated a locomotive ditcher, of ordinary construction, comprising a car frame or body 6 having the usual machinery platform or deck 7 rotatably mounted thereon. The usual boom 8, dipper 9, operating mechanism 11 and the boilerlQ are mounted upon the deck 7 and are operable therewith as a unit.

The usual bull gear 13 and pinion 14 are also shown, it being understood that the bull gear is secured to the car frame 6 while thepinion 14 is borne by the deck 7 and meshes with the bull gear 13 to revolve the deck by means of the operating mechanism mounted upon the deck. a

A. feature of this invention resides in the novel arrangement of the straight air and automatic air brake connections between the revolving deck and the car body, which are so arranged as to permit the deck to be revolved in a complete circle without any danger of causing injury or excessive wear to such connections.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 5, it will be noted that means are provided whereby air under pressure may be con-ducted from the main reservoir 15 through a vertical rotating shaft 16 to the brake connections beneath the car frame 6. Such means preferably consist of mounting within the hollow shaft 16, a relatively large pipe connection 17 which communicates with the automatic air control valve 18, and by similarly mounting a relatively smaller pipe connection 19 within the pipe connection 17, which is in communication with the straight air valve 21. The pipe connections 17 and 19 have their lower ends secured to a terminal box or casing 22 which is provided with chambers 23 and 24, the former having a connection with the relatively larger pipe connection 17, and the latter being similarly connected with the smaller pipe connection 19 as shown. The lower end portion of the connection 19 is mounted within a threaded socket provided in the wall 28 between the two chambers 23 and 24, and is securely locked thereto by means of a lock nut 29. The relatively larger pipe connection 17 has its lower end mounted in a 'threadedsocket provided in a plate 31 and likewise is locked thereto by means of a lock nut 32. The plate 31 is secured to the terminal box or casing 22 by suitable means such as bolts or cap screws 33. By thus securing the lower ends of the pipe connections 17 and 19 to the terminal box 22 such connections will be rigidly held in place, and will therefore be locked against rotation when the vertical shaft 16 is operated to propel or move the ditcher along the railroad track. The usual drive pinion 34 is secured to the lower end of ,the vertical shaft 16 beneath its supporting bearing 35, and meshes with a bevel gear 36 secured to the horizontal drive shaft 37, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Suitable clutch mechanisms are mounted upon the horizontal drive shaft 37 for transmitting power therefrom to the trucks 38 of the locomotive; but, as such mechanisms are of ordinary construction and form no part of the present invention, it is thought unnecessary to show same in the drawings.

A double swivel joint is mounted upon the upper end-portion of the vertical pipe connections 17 and 19, so that air may be delivered from the control valves 18 and 21 to the stationary brake mechanism beneath the car body 6, without leakage, and irment of the revolving deck 7. Referring to the. upper portion of Figure 2, and also to Figure 3, it will be noted that a flanged member 39 is mounted upon the upper end-1.,

portion of the pipe section 17, and is pre" vented from upward movement thereon by means of a lock nut or ring 41 received in threaded engagement upon the end of the pipe connection 17. This ring is locked to the pipe connection 17 by means of a set screw 42, thereby positively preventing the lock ring from relatively rot-atisig upon he pipe connection 17. A cap 43 is secured to the flanged member 39 by means of bolts or cap-screws 44, and this cap is provided with a threaded opening 45 adapted to receive oneend of a pipe connection 46 leading therefrom to the automatic air control valve 18. Lugs 47 depend from the upper wall of the cap 43 and are adapted to engage the upper face of the lock ring 41 to retain the cap 43, and therefore the flanged member 39, in their relative vertical positions upon the pipe connection 17. The flanged member 39 is provided with a threaded extension 48 having a relatively larger bore 49 in which a packing 51 is inserted as shown. A packing gland 52 is slidably mounted upon the upper end-portion of the pipe connection 17 and is adapted to be pressed into the bore 49 against the packing 51 by means of a packing nut 53 received in threaded engagement with the threaded extension 48. A look ring 54 is also mounted upon the threaded extension 48 to securely lock the packing nut 53 in its adjusted position upon the extension. When the above described parts are thus mounted upon the pipe connection 17, the cap 43 and the flanged member 39 and associated parts,

may be relatively rotated upon the pipe connection 17 without any danger of air leakage therethrough.

A relatively smaller threaded extension 55 is provided upon the upper wall of the cap 43 in axial alignment with the upper endportion of the relatively smaller pipe connection 19. This extension is likewise provided with a relatively larger bore 56 adapted to receive a packing 57 which is adapted to be pressed therein against the pipe connection 19 by means of an annular flange or gland 58 preferably formed on the lower portion of a relatively smaller cap 59. A split adjusting ring 61, having an inwardly projecting annular flange 62 adapted to be seated in a groove 63 in the lower portion of the head 59, is received in threaded engagement upon the extension 55. The adjusting ring 61 is provided with a series of apertures 64 adapted to be moved into alignment with a lurality of similar aper tures 65 provided 1n the cap 59. A bolt 66 is inserted in the alignment apertures 64 and respective of the relative position or move- 65 to prevent the adjusting ring 61 from relatively rotating with reference to the cap 59. The chamber 67 in the cap 59 communicates with a pipe section 68 which leads therefrom to the straight air control valve -21, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. By thus connecting the pipe section 68 to the upper end of the vertical pipe section 19 the pipe section 68 may be relatively rotated with reference thereto without any danger of air leakage through the connecting means therebetween. It will also be noted that by the removal of the bolt 66 the adjusting ring 61 may be rotated upon the threaded extension 55, thereby providing means whereby an air-tight joint may be maintained between the pipe connection 19 and the head 59, to which the pipe" section 68 is directly connected.

In the operation of the double swivel joint asabove described, the pipe connections 17 and 19 are locked against rotation as a re sult of having their lower ends secured to the outlet box or casing 22, thereby causing the heads 43 and 59 to relatively rotate upon the upper ends of the pipe sections when the machinery deck is rotated with reference to the car body or frame 6. The pipe connections 17 and 19 are also held against vertical movement by means of the pipe connections connected to the. lower outlet box or casing 22.

Figure 5 illustrates, in a general way, how the double swivel joint is interposed between the stationary pipe connections mountedbe neath the carbody and the movable pipe connections mounted upon the revolving deck in which the excavating and power mechanism is mounted. As here. shown the control valves 18 and 21 are connected with the main reservoir or air tank 15 by means of pipe connections 69 and 71-, so that the air brakes beneath the car frame may be operated either by automatic air or straight air, depending upon existing conditions, which is well known to those familiar with air brake construction. The stationary air brake mechanism mounted beneath the car frame 6, and to which the vertical pipe connections 17 and 19 are connected, comprises the usual brake cylinder 7 2, the auxiliary air reservoir 73 and the automatic brake pipe 74, which is in direct communication with the relatively larger pipe connection 17. by means of the pipe section 75 and the chamber 23 in the outlet box or casing 22. A

.pipe section 76 leads from the chamber 24 of the casing 22 to a double checkvalve 77, of ordinary construction, which is connected to the brake cylinder 72 by means of a pipe section 78. A connection 79 also leads from the double check valve .77 to one side of a triple valve 81, which is provided with connections 82 and 83, the former connecting it with the auxiliary reservoir 73 and the latter with the main brake pipe 74. The

double check valve and the triple valve, diagrammatically shown in Figure 5, are of ordinary construction, and the operation of these devices in connection with air brake mechanisms is well known to those familiar with the art, and it is therefore thought unnecessary to show same in detail. The structure shown in Figure 5 is adaptable for use to operate the brakes either by straight air or by the a'iitomatic air which is commom and well known in railway air brake construction. When the straight air is employed to operate the brakes, which usually is when the locomotive is being independently moved along the railroad track and the automatic air connections 85 between the locomotive and cars are open or disconnected, air is delivered to the vertical pipe connec-- tion 19 from the main reservoir 15 by operating the straight air control valve 21. The air thus delivered to the. connection 19 will flow through the pipe connection 76, check valve 77 and the pipe section 78 to the brake cylinder, thereby causing the plunger rod 86 to be actuated to apply the brakes. The connection between the plunger rod 86 and the brake shoes is of well known construction and is therefore not shown in the drawings. When it is desired to release the'brakes the supply of air to the cylinder is interrupted-by manipulation of the hand lever 87 of the control valve 21, which will cause the pipe section 68 to be opened to the exhaust 88, thereby causing the fluid pressure contained in the brake cylinder pipe sections 78, 76, 19 and (S8 to be discharged to the. atmosphere; \Vhen the locomotive is connected to a train of cars as shown in Figure 1 and the automatic air connections 85' are connected, the automatic air may be applied to the brakes. In the use of the automatic air, and i when the brakes are in inoperative position, it is to be understood that the brakes are automatically applied by air pressure when the air pressure in the main brake pipe'74 is released by opening to the atmosphere, the control valve 18 so that the air contained in the pipe sections 74, 75, 17 and 46 may be discharged from the valve through the. discharge 89. Such releasing of the air pressure in the brake pipe 7 4 will cause the fluid pressure in the auxiliary reservoir73 to operate the triple valve 81 and automatically cut off connection between it and the pipe section 83 and establish connection between it andthe pipe section 79. Such admission of fluid pressure from the auxiliary reservoir '73 to the pipe section 79 will cause the double check valve 77 to automatically close the inlet between it and the-pipe section 7 6, after which the air will be free to flow therethrough to the pipe section 78 and into the brake cylinder 72, thereby causing the brakes air pressure in the brake pipe 7 4. When the lever 91 of the valve 18 is operated to cut off communication between the pipe 46 and the exhaust 89, and to establish communication between the pipe 69 and the pipe 46, air pressure will again be built up in the brake pipe 74, which will cause the triple valve to be operated to automatically cut off communication between it and the pipe section 79 and to re-establish communication between the valve and the auxiliary reservoir 73, thereby filling the auxiliary reservoir with air applicable for use when the operating lever 81 is again operated to cause the brakes to be applied.

By the employment of this novel swivel justed in a minimum amount'of time in case' of leakage caused by wear, etc.

In the drawings and description wehave referred tothe'device as being used to conduct pressurein connection'with air brakes, but it is to be understood that if desired it may also be used for conducting water, other liquids, steam or gas from a relatively movable member: to a stationary member. Minor changes and modifications may also be made in the details of construction without departing from the invention.

Having thus described ourinvention, what weclaim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a frame, a deck mount-- ed' to rotate thereon, means for operating said deck, a brake pipe on said truck frame,

a hollow shaft concentric with the axis of said deck, a pressure pipe within said shaft having means for connection with said brake pipe and with a source of pressure supply,

and means rotatable with the deck to control the admission of pressure to said pipe.

2. In combination, a frame, a deck mounted to rotate thereon, means for operating said deck, a brake pipe on said truck frame, a hollow shaft concentric with the axis of said deck, pressure pipes concentrically mounted within said shaft and having a connection with a source of pressure supply, one of said pipes having a direct con-' nection with the brake pipe and the other having an indirect connection w1t h said brake pipe, and means; rotatable with the deck to control the admission of pressure to said ipes.

3. combination, a frame, a deck mounted to rotate thereon, means for operating said deck, a brake mechanism mounted on said truck frame, a hollow shaft concentric with the axis of said deck, pressure pipes concentrically mounted within said shaft and having means for connection with a source of pressure supply, means rotatably mounted upon said pipes and a valve mechanlsm mounted on said deck, and connected with said means whereby the flow of pres-' sure to said pipes may be controlled.

4. In combination, a truck frame, a deck mounted to rotate thereon, means for operating said deck, a brake mechanism mounted on said truck frame; a hollow shaft concentric with the axis of said deck, fluid pressure pi es concentrically mounted within said sha t and having means for connection with a source of fluid pressure supply, a swivel joint mounted upon said pipes and a valve mechanism mounted upon said deck and connected with said swivel joint whereby the admission of fluid pressure to said pipes may be independently controlled.

5. A locomotive ditcher comprising in combination a truck frame, a revolving deck mounted thereon, means for operating said deck, a brake mechanism mounted on said truck frame-comprising a brake cylinder,

an auxiliary reservoir, a brake pipe having a connection therewith and valves for automatically controlling the flow of fluid pressure to and from said reservoir, a hollow shaft operatively connecting said truck frame with a power mechanism mounted on said deck, fluid pressure ipes concentrically mounted within said hol ow shaft and having their lower ends connected with said brake mechanism, a swivel joint rotatably mounted upon the upper ends of said fluid pressure pipes, and control valves communicating with said swivel joint and having a connection with a source of fluid pressure supply whereby the admission of fluid pressure to said fluid pressure pipes and brake mechanism may be controlled.

6. A locomotive ditcher comprising in combination a truck frame having a revolving deck mounted thereon, means for operating said deck, a brake mechanism mounted on said truck frame and comprising a brake cylinder, an auxiliary reservoir, a brake pipe and automatic valves therefor, said brake mechanism being adapted for either straight air or automatic air control, a hollow shaft operatively connecting said truck frame with a power mechanism on said revolving deck, fluid pressure ipes mounted in axial alignment within said hollow shaft, one of said pipes having a connection with the brake cylinder and the other having a connection with 'said auxjoint, and said control valves having a coniliary reservoir, a double swivel joint inountnection with a source of fluid pressure sup- 10 ed upon said fluid pressure pipes, 21 straight ply whereby the brakes may be applied by air control valve having a connection with either straight or automatic air.

one of said fluid pressure pipes through In Witness whereof, We have hereunto set said swivel joint and an automatic air conour hands this 28th day of July 1925.

trol valve having a connection with the WILLIAM 'J. SHENK.

other of said pipes through said swivel EDWARD A. \VILHELM. 

